It's all about the boots
by maglin
Summary: A homeless girl and her dog, a courageless lion, a brainless scarecrow and a heartless tin woodman on their way to achieve what they need... sounds familar? Lucy thought so too, but when she reads the story to her guild mates the plot is "slightly" going out of hand...but then again... Isnt it all just about the boots? (rated T for later chapters, genre might change later)
1. The reluctant Storyteller

_Hi there^^ my very first FT FF ever ( so please show mercy .).. Im not very good at writing about humans... i have a lot of ideas for stories, but never write them down, stupid me -.-_

_But well. I want to improve and i liked this idea veeeery much, so here you go^^_

_I apologize for any grammar and spelling mistakes (if you notice some and im sure you will please tell me =)) Mag~_

* * *

_**It's all about the boots...**_

**_XXX_**

**_Prologue_**

_In which Lucy talks about courageous shoes and Happy becomes acquainted with a fireplace poker_

**XXX**

Gasping Lucy heaved the huge book on the guilds counter, before she let herself fall on one of the empty bar stools in front, her face full of red spots, caused by her effort. From the other side of the counter radiated Miras encouraging smile towards her, while the blue-eyed barmaid filled some cups with steaming mulled wine.

"Hi there, how are you? And what are you planning with this giant tome ?" she asked curiously, pointing with her chin at the old book, while, without being asked, pushed one of the cups towards the freezing Stellar Mage. Lucy gratefully grabbed it and sighed happily, as the warmth began slowly to spread in her cold fingers. It was two weeks before Christmas, and since the beginning of the month it had been snowing incessantly. All transportation had failed and the mages of Fairy Tail were stuck in Magnolia - it was simply impossible to go on a mission. Those who could, came to the guild to pass their time... and hoped not to be snowed.

Still shivering Lucy sipped her drink and smiled at Mira. "It's a book I used to like when I was younger. I told Levy about it the other day, and she wanted to have a look at it. Since we have nothing better to do, I thought I'd bring it here, so we can read it together. It has been ages since I read it. " Nostalgically, she stroked the leather-bound cover. It had belonged to her mother and was one of the very few things she had brought with her from her father's Estate.

Mira smiled. "That sounds good, what is it about? Maybe something that might interests me as well?" she asked , throwing a glance through the guild hall with a sigh."On days like this there is nothing better than a good story front of the fireplace!"

Snow danced in front of the windows, covered with frost flowers, and it was unusually quiet, even though the place was packed. But that was just the calm before the storm, Lucy mused, glancing around as well. It did not fit the guild members well to stay quiet for more than ..lets say five minutes? ... on good days. Surely one of their famous brawls would start soon and the Blonde had absolutely no intention to be still around, when that happened. Regarding the tension in the hall right now it would be twice as bad as usual.

But she did not think long about that. Miras comment had left her puzzled. Lucy could not agree more, but ... "I did not know that you like books ..." she said in amazement, missing the furtive spark in the bar maids eyes completely.

Mira shrugged ... "Not so much ... or rather, not as much as you and Levy, perhaps, but I like good stories ... maybe one of you can read it to me?"

This was unexpected. Not sure how to answer, the blonde hesitated when suddenly Happy's voice rang out and the winged cat appeared beside her.

"_Lucyyyyyy ~ What are you doing?_" He was obviously bored ... after being stuck here for so long that it felt like an eternity, even fish seemed to lose it's fascination.

"Lucy was about to tell me what the story, she is going to read to me, is about!" Mira said with a wink.

Lucy swallowed, now noticing the expression in young woman's face behind the counter. Actually, she had intended to reject ... Although she loved to write, reading out loud was not necessarily one of her hobbies ... and somehow she had the feeling that Mira knew that very well.

"What story?" Happy interrupted her thoughts once more, suspiciously eyeing the book. "Is it about fish?"

Lucy snorted. Apparently the winged tom's head really had no room for anything else.

"No," she said firmly. "It's about ... uhm" She hesitated, both Happy and Mira looking at her expectantly. "It's about boots!" Lucy finally completed her sentence.

Mira raised an eyebrow and Happy gave her one of those looks he had reserved for the moments when he truly doubted her sanity. _"Boots?"_ he echoed incredulously.

Lucy defiantly bit her lower lip. "Yes, boots... of course it is also about other things: friendship, courage, trust, morale, etc. .. but to put it in a nut shell: It's all about boots"

Happy frowned while Mira still looked a little confused. Lucy smiled smugly into her cup. Basically she was not lying, but now the story sounded so ridiculous and stupid that the two surely would lose their interest and she and Levy-chan could ...

"NATSUUUUUUUU .. Lucy wants to read a story about courageous shoes and fish to us!"

_Damn ..._

Happy's voice echoed loudly through the guild, enthusiastic as ever, and broke Natsus mandatory argument with Gray. Both turned their heads ... just like pretty much everyone else in the guild. Lucy resisted the urge to hit her head on the counter, feeling their prying eyes on her. How could she believe to deter Happy with that? He was not exactly what one would call sane and after two long miserable and boring as hell weeks, the others also seemed ready to consider listening a ridiculous story about shoes for distraction. At least she concluded that from the approving murmurs among her guild mates.

...Not that most of them were insane, too..

"Whoa, wait! Well, actually I..." Lucy was just about to make clear that she had absolutely no intention to read anything to anyone, not even a shopping list, when Mira came rushing out from behind the counter, grabbed her wrist and dragged the Stellar Mage to a free wing chair in front of the large fireplace on the opposite wall.

"Sit down here, where we can all hear you!" she chirped and with a loud and heavy _* thunk *_ the book landed at Lucy's lap.

That would surely be a bruise by tomorrow. Annoyed the blonde rubbed her aching thighs, lifted her eyes - and froze. Almost the entire guild had turned around their chairs and looked at her expectantly. To be correct, everyone but Gajeel who sat with his usual scowling at his table in the back, watching the spectacle obviously annoyed, before he turned his attention back to the raging blizzard outside.

Dazed, Lucy blinked at the crowd. Normally she enjoyed to be in the center of so much attention, but like this... Hell, they looked like they were starving for something entertaining. Embarrassed, she clutched the book, as the wooden double doors swung open, and with an icy winter breeze Levy stumbled in. She eagerly looked around and grinned as she spotted Lucy on her "seat of honor"

"Lu-chan! Sorry I'm late, but the snow .. Oh?" Astonished, she glanced again. "What's going on here?"

"Lucy" Mira declared innocently, and said Blonde would have sworn by her keys that the barmaid flashed her an all but innocent grin, "has kindly agreed to read a story to us!"

Lucy made a face before she gave Levy a pleading look. SAVE! ME! said her eyes. Smart as she was, her best friend would be able to find a way out of this predicament easily! But Levy seemed to be either blind, or ignorant to Lucys wishes, because she clapped her hands enthusiastically and bustled to Lucy in order to make herself comfortable right at her feet.

"This is great Lu-chan, I wanted to hear the story from you anyway ... you said, the main character is very similar to you, right? "

Lucy smiled wryly. "Yes .. great ..."

_~Traitor!~_

The tense silence that filled the guild hall troubled her. Nervously, she ran her tongue over her lips. She even had the attention of the Iron Dragonslayer... or rather, the little blue-haired figure at her feet who struggled to take off her gloves with a concentrated expression.

Despite the undesired situation the Stellar Mage had to grin. She would never let her best friend live that down, a suitable revenge for the denial of assistance. But before that...

With a defeated sigh the girl slammed the book open. She would read as horrible as she could, fast and without pronouncing and so quiet that nobody could understand her... hopefully they would never ask her to read again then!

_"A long time ago, in the midst of the great grasslands of Fiore, there lived a girl with her Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and her Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife. The girl was a real beauty, with hair like gold, and she was smart and brave too. Her name was..."_

"LUCYYYY? " a voice interrupted her and she found Happy standing in front of her, a paw on her knee. "Lucy, are you sure that's the Boots-book?"

Lucy frowned at him. "Of course I am sure! And don't call it Boots-book! Why are you asking?"

Happy gazed up at her innocently. "Well, Levy did just say the main character is a lot like you and what you just read did not sound at all like..."

The starting laughter died away immediately as a clean targeted fireplace poker hit the cheeky cat on the head. Warning Lucy gazed around. It was silent again .. but this time out of fear rather than out of expectation. For a second the Stellar Mage could have passed as Erza after someone stole her precious cake.

The blonde cleared her throat and sat down again after her unexpected outburst, with all the grandeur that became ingrained to her during her childhood. "Alright..." she said. These_ philistines_! Glaring around once more , she started to read again. Still full of anger, her voice sounded a lot more emotional now, also loud and clear in the mousy quiet Hall. Something one could not resist listening too.

Behind the counter Mira smiled silently to herself and secretly pushed a fish towards Happy.

* * *

**A/N: Well... first attempt ever, so what do you think? reviews would be very very welcomed * is not at all insecure, cough cough***

**in addition i would like to say that the characters of Fairy Tail are owned by Hiro Mashima, later following ones by Lyman Frank Baum as well as the plot...to a certian degree at least (dunno yet how exactly everything will turn out, so im open for ideas here as well =))**

**Ah..and of course i quoted Mr. Baum a bit when Lucy starts to read (as you can see i adapt him veeeeery freely..believe me, its just the start ...i hope nobody is going to kill me for that though)**

**Well, thats it for now^^ So long, Mag~**


	2. Gale from Northeast

**It's all about the boots...**

**XXX**

**Chapter One - Gale from Northeast**

_what starts with an unexpected Cyclone and ends with an even more unexpected flood_

**XXX**

Who would have thought that it would be so easy?

Mira could not help but congratulate herself. She was a genius! Early in the afternoon the Master had taken her aside, a worried expression on his face as he nervously observed his "children", who were already occupying the guild hall.

"This isn't good," he had muttered anxiously. "They' re in here too long already. Slowly becoming tense, these brats. If this goes on..."

Again, the little man's gaze wandered through the hall. Mira did the same... Beyond doubt, he was right. Gradually the hitherto peaceful mood threatened to tip. Everyone was on edge, it seemed like a storm was brewing, just waiting to break loose at any time. And if that should happen...

"We just set up the guild again," said Mira, now also worried. Given the restless mages this fight would take apocalyptic proportions. Makarov nodded gloomily and ruffled his spare hair.

"Yes, and the cash register is empty. The Council came up with a new tax last month. I swear, they're planning on ruining me! You have to help me and somehow distract them, Mira! Please! Before they reduce it all to rubble again! "

The white-haired woman blinked. To stop Fairy Tail members from putting something in ruins?

"Um.. but..."

"Wonderful, I'm counting on you! So then... " The Master clapped his hands, winked at the young woman... and disappeared apace to barricade himself in his office. Better safe then sorry.

Mira gaped after him in disbelief and glanced once more across the guild hall. Well now, this was going to be so much _fun_.

But completely unexpected from the barmaid the problem had solved itself. Well, almost by itself, but Mira was convinced that her involvement was of only minimal nature. At the bottom of her heart, Lucy was probably totally thrilled to be... _allowed_ ...to read the story to them. And if not, confronted with the alternative she would have felt so immediately. Mira could be very persuasive...

The chin in her hands she looked across the bar to where the blonde was sitting in front of the fire, her face still red (an aftereffect of Happy's remark, the barmaid assumed),and read. And everyone listened spellbound, completely absorbed in the strange story without exception, even if Laxus acted disinterested and Gajeel stared stubbornly out the window again. They could not deceive Mira. And Lucy read really good. From the corner of her eye Mira believed to see even the door to Master's working office open a tiny crack.

Satisfied to have finished her job to everybody's satisfaction, Mira ventured finally to lose herself in the story too. You could almost hear the grass whisper...

**XXX**

Whispering waved the grass sea. Infinite rushing of long slender stalks, bleached by the relentless sun. The Downs of Céel in the heart Fiore seemed to unroll in all directions till infinity, yellowish green up to the horizon. And in the middle: a small house made of simple, unpainted wood, surrounded by a fence that encircled also a well kept garden.  
A man was working in it. How old he was, was hard to say, because just like the grass, he also seemed to have been bleached by the sun. His hair was oddly colorless and weather and worry had pulled furrows in his face quite early. His mouth twisted into a hard line, as he hammered a spade into the hard dirt, pausing only occasionally to look at the distant sky. Behind the house, a woman hung out laundry. She also seemed ageless and wore a sullen look, as if she had bitten in a lemon. And just like the man she also paused from time to time gaze around. However, instead of observing the sky, like her husband, the woman's attention was concentrated on the surrounding grasslands. Quite as if she were looking for something... or someone.

Not far from the house, this someone was laying in the grass, a closed book on her stomach and the brown eyes closed, a satisfied smile on her face.  
"Hmm.. this feels so good, right Plue? " The blond girl whispered, feeling the sunlight touch her skin.

An approving bark was heard, however, it sounded strangely muted. The girl cracked one eye open and turned her head to face the white puppy, sitting not far away from her in the tall grass. He chewed on something that looked suspiciously like a Sunday boot. Aunt Ems Sunday boot to be exact. Lucy sighed, but did nothing to take the dogs trophy away. The shoe was beyond saving anyway.

"Geez, "she laughed and shook her head. "You will get us into a hell of a mess again, Plue. But it's her own fault if she throws always stuff after you!"

Aunt Em was not very fond of Plue. She _loathed_ him. He was pretty useless on the farm, could not guard the few sheep, the family owned, nor deter burglars to rob them. Except they were distracted by his innocent fluffiness...

But Lucy did not care. Hell, not everything in the world needed a purpose! Plue was her friend and the only thing that gave some joy to her, here in this grim area. They had a lot of fun together ... something that Aunt Em probably knew only by hearsay. Even worse than the dog she only found Lucy's love to books. They were even more useless than the puppy, kept the girl from work and in addition to that they put nonsense in her head. But what was Lucy supposed to do, if the stories were so exciting? If she could not help, but lose herself in them?

The couple had taken her in, when she was still very young, an orphan with no relatives, her real parents nothing but a vague memory, and for that she was indeed grateful. Really grateful - if only there had not been this boredom! Lucy wanted to experience adventures, to see the world! But she knew only too well that she would probably never leave the Downs, let alone Fiore. So she traveled with her books to foreign places. Was that so bad?

Uncle Henry was a little more tolerable in this matter,even if only because he ignored her most of the time, he seemed not to know how to handle the lively girl. He was rather unskilled in dealing with people in general and kept to himself most of the time, working hour after hour in silence. But that was okay with Lucy. If he did not work they sometimes sat in peaceful silence on the narrow porch and observed the sky (until Aunt Em spoiled the mood and started arguing that they were wasting daylight). However, there was not much more what they actually connected.

The girl sighed. She was ungrateful because she wanted a different life, right? Probably so. Not a very nice feeling.

Yawning, she sat up and stretched. It was time to go to work, otherwise she would get in trouble with her aunt again.

"Lucy!"

Speaking of the devil! The girl jumped up, the book in her hand and pulled a few blades of grass out of her shoulder-length, slightly wavy hair. Beside her Plue also rose and jumped tail wagging ahead, chin raised high and his "prey" in his jaws. Laughing Lucy followed him and snatched the completely destroyed boot after a short wrangling away from him. Aunt Em did not have to note immediately that the snow-white puppy had trespassed again on her wardrobe. Plue shot her an offended look and stormed away yapping while Lucy hid the boot inconspicuously behind the rain barrel. With some luck nobody would find it there so soon. She found Plues pranks always extremely entertaining, but her foster parents thought, unfortunately, completely different about this matter. The blonde suspected that this was due to their environment. Day after day... only half-dried grass. Nothing, otherwise. No tree, not even a bush broke the view and their nearest neighbors lived a day's ride from here. No wonder they were so ossified.

"LUCY! "

Aunt Ems voice rang out to her again and the girl already had a _'Incoming!'_ laying on her tongue, when she paused. Aunt Em had sounded strange. Almost nervous! Worried Lucy accelerated her steps and peered blinking towards the porch, where her aunt stood, an anxious expression on her face.

_~ Hmm, how strange ~_ Lucy thought. The older woman was not known for a distinctive mine play. And up to now the girl had always supposed that she was afraid of nothing and no one. Now, even Uncle Henry came running out of the garden, cast a glance in her direction... and started to wave excitedly.

"Hurry up!" He yelled in panic over the roaring.

Wait a moment, what roar?

Lucy glanced over her shoulder...

_"KYAAAAAA!" _

One glance told her of the danger close at hand. A whirlwind - a real, roaring cyclone with debris swirling in it - raced directly towards the house. Towards _her_.

Lucy broke into a run.

Faintly she heard Aunt Em shout again, before the woman disappeared into the house, but she understood only as Uncle Henry pointed at the approaching storm, then back into the house and downward. Of course, the Cyclone Cellar! There the family could take shelter in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path. It was reached by a trap door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole.

The wind tugged at her clothes, while the girl headed straight for the door which did not seem to get any closer. Had she really been this far from the house? Rain began to fall, a single drop, then another and suddenly a thunderstorm broke loose, as she had seen none yet. And above it all sounded the howling of the storm like a mad-dog. Speaking of dogs...

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks. Where was Plue? She had not see him enter the house and she would certainly not leave her only friend out here in a storm like this. Searching, she looked around and noticed a whining white fur-ball that huddled in a corner of the now empty porch. Relieved, she raced the last meters, jumped up the stairs and picked up the frightened puppy with some effort. The squirming animal in her arms Lucy threw herself through the wide open door and closed it behind her. It took a few seconds before her eyes had adjusted to the twilight ruling here, the sky had darkened with the impending storm and although it was only early afternoon, in here it was dark as night now. Nevertheless, she barely hesitated, Lucy knew the way in her sleep. Hastily, she stumbled into the room and towards the Cyclone Cellar which stood out as a yawning black hole in the middle of the dark floor.

A narrow iron ladder stuck out and she recognized Uncle Henry, who impatiently held out his hands to help her down. Lucy took another step, the kicking Plue firmly pressed against her chest, and knelt beside the cellar hole on the floor. At this moment hit the storm. The whole house shook and from the groaning truss, fluttered dust like dirty snow. With a startled cry Lucy fell and let go of the dog, who was hiding under the bed immediately. Panicking the girl tried to pull herself together, struggling to get up and recapture him, as something very unexpected happened. With a great shriek the storm raged against the house again, which shook even harder than before, whirled around two or three times and... _rose slowly through the air_.

Lucy gasped.

Stunned, she stared at the spot, where just a second ago uncle Henry's hands had been, but now nothing but emptiness was visible. She forced a scream back down her throat and closed her eyes, counting to ten before opening them again.

This time she really screamed. Still she whirled in a small wooden house above the ground, round and round, in the midst of a full-blown hurricane. The cry died away and she swallowed. This ... this could not be true. Just could not. Such things happened in books, not in reality! How should a whole house...? The storm flung her "vehicle" around once more and before she could continue to think about the unreality of the situation, Lucy fell again and slid with great speed towards the opening at the bottom. The roughly estimated thousand meters emptiness between her and the ground seemed unfortunately quite real.

"AHHH!"

Lucy frantically fumbled around, desperately looking for support, but found nothing. Her useless short nails scraped across the wooden floor, while the hole was getting closer. Already she felt the wind of the tornado, threatening to snatch her away and tear her apart with its cutting winds, when suddenly something grabbed her by the collar of her blue dress and pulled the girl violently backwards.

With a startled, nonetheless facilitated, squeak Lucy fell back and hurriedly crawled away from the threatening opening, before she looked around for her rescuer. Plue sat panting behind her, his tail between his legs and trembling all over, but otherwise unharmed. With a relieved sob the girl grabbed him and pressed him to her chest. He seemed to need the comfort as well, as he nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck, whimpering.

" It's all right ", the blonde whispered in a shaky voice, unsure whether she wanted to soothe the dog or herself. "Everything will be okay... you'll see. This is all just a bad dream."

The house rocked again and Lucy set Plue down in order to hastily close the hatch. Dream or not, you could not be too careful.

But when that was done, she did not know how to continue. She had no idea how she had ended up in this tricky situation and was also pretty sure that she could do nothing about it for now. So for a while she just sat on the floor, Plue still whimpering in her arms, and gazed into space. She expected gravity to remember its duty every moment now, causing the house to smash - along with her and Plue - on the ground. But it did not. Hour after hour passed, and apart from the earsplitting shrieks of the storm, which almost sounded like sardonic laughter now and then, nothing happened.

Finally, the fatigue got the upper hand and filled her with so much indifference regarding their possible imminent death that Lucy got up and curled up in her bed, Plue pressed close to her side. If she was lucky, Aunt Ems voice would wake her up any moment now and all of this had been nothing but a dream, a bad, bad dream...

**XXX**

Hours later, however, not the impatient voice of her aunt, but a huge jolt, followed by a loud rumble, woke her with a start. With a startled scream Lucy went up, her messy blond hair surrounding her like a battered halo. She was not really a morning person, so despite her sudden awaken it took her a few heartbeats until she overcame her disorientation. But then the memories descended upon her with the force of a collapsing brick wall. Her oaken eyes widened.

"The Cyclone, " she whispered hoarsely and jumped hastily out of the bed. It was now much quieter than before, the loud wailing and howling of the wind had died down and given way to the singing of birds. Lucy frowned. She had felt a jolt. Did that mean they had landed? That Plue and she had survived this flight to hell? Where was her four-legged companion anyway?

A soft whine sounded from the doorway and the girl smiled when she spotted the puppy, who was, both front paws pressed against the cracked wood, looking at her. He almost vibrated with excitement. Slowly she walked up to him tying back her rumpled hair.

"Ok then! Let's see where this stupid Cyclone has taken us, ne?" she muttered nervously and turned the handle. If she was lucky, the storm did not carry them too far, and they could easily...

The sight that greeted her behind the door almost took her breath away. She had no idea where she was, but this were clearly _not_ the Downs. Instead of withered , waist-high grass the world behind the door showed her lush greenery and tall slender trees. In sheer shock she would have nearly slammed the door shut again, but Plue squeezed past her and shot into the open. Reluctantly, she followed him out in the sunshine. At least their new environment seemed not particularly threatening. Actually, it was quite beautiful. Apparently they had landed in the middle of a nice small clearing. Soft, short grass grew at her feet, lovely flowers of brilliant colors were growing everywhere. The surrounding trees were slender and rustled softly in the wind. Colorful fruits hung from their branches and exotic birds sang their songs in their tops. The whole scene was so peaceful that Lucy had nearly forgotten about the situation they were in.

Where was she? How should they return home? Were Aunt Em and Uncle Henry alright? They must have been safe from the storm in the Cyclone Cellar, but now they no longer had a home! The house! Would she get into trouble with Aunt Em because of that ? Actually, it had not been Lucy's fault, but when her aunt was involved, one could never know for sure. Worried about the blonde chewed on her lower lip. Yes, that would certainly give her terrible trouble.

But surprisingly, it was a very different emotion that made itself known, when she looked at her lovely surroundings: _excitement_. It filled her stomach with a tingling sensation and the girl could literally feel irrepressible curiosity driving all thoughts of fear and impending trouble away.

"An Adventure " she whispered and span around in a circle. "A true real adventure, Plue!"

She lifted the reluctant puppy up and whirled around with him, her happy laughter sounding trough the woods. It was almost like the stories her books - did not the glorious heroines in her stories always end up in exciting, strange places, completely on their own, apart from one or two faithful companions?

The self-proclaimed heroine gave vent to her joy until the trees began to spin in front of her eyes and collapsed still laughing on the grass. How long had she been waiting for such an opportunity? That was exactly what she had always wanted! Smiling, she looked up to the sky, covered with fluffy little clouds, and barely noticed as Plue squirmed out of her arms to explore the clearing.

She did not remember him until he let out a loud warning bark and pressed to her side. Startled, she looked up from the bright red flower which she had been examining carefully, and sat up.

"Plue?," the girl asked alarmed and followed his gaze. The white fur bristling like an angry cat the dog was staring intently toward the trees. Damn, she forgot to check if they were safe here. Perhaps there were wild animals around, or even worse...

A shadowy movement between the trees let the girl flinch and Lucy rose quietly, the snarling dog in her arms. Something scurried back and forth there, but she could not make out form nor number. Worried she took a few cautious steps back toward the house. Suddenly the forest did not seem bright and cheerful anymore, but all too quiet and threatening. But whoever was hiding there in the shadows, made no move to approach her. In fact, all motion was frozen as soon as the shadowy figures had noticed that they had been discovered. If she had not known better, Lucy would have assumed that they were afraid of her. Of her! A young girl! The thought made her bolder and before she knew it, she had already taken a step forward again, her chin thrust forward and the free hand on her hip.

"Who goes there? Show yourself!"

_~Oh Crap~ _

As soon as the words were out, she would have liked to bite off her traitorous tongue, but it was too late already. _Your big mouth _, Aunt Em had always claimed, _will be your downfall one day! _Lucy did not like to admit it, but it seemed like the old lady had been right. She could hear hasty whispers and the shadows approached her hesitantly.

_"She's the one, sure enough, lads!"_

_"Crivens! Ye think so? Doesn't look like one, if ye 're askin' me, eh?"_

_"Nay? And since when 're ye knowin' a thing 'bout hags? Ye cannot tell a cow from a tree, can ye? "_

_"What does cattle have to do with this?"_

Lucy frowned. _Hag? Cattle? _Did they talk about her? She hoped not! The thought of being labeled as a "hag" did not sit very well with her.

"Um... excuse me?" she asked nervously, and cocked her head. There were at least three voices, but they really did not sound threatening. Slowly, the girl made another step toward the trees.  
_  
"Oh, waily, waily, waily! We're in trouble noo! She's comin'! Ye made her angry! Ye cannot cross a hag, everybody knows thut!"_

"I'm not angry " Lucy ventured to interject and grabbed Plue firmer, when he squirmed in her arms.  
_  
~ Just completely confused...~_

_"See? I told ye! She's not angry! I'm good with hags, ye know?"_

_"Aye? Since when?"_

_"Callin' me a liar, 're ye?"_

Slowly becoming impatient Lucy came even closer, until she was almost under the trees and narrowed her eyes. Even though she could hear the strange voices very clearly now... it seemed like a brawl had broken out among their owners, at least she assumed that by the occasional _'Crivens! Feel ma boot, ye bastard' _or the _'Come here! 'm fed up wi' the pair a yees!_ ...no one could be seen. Unsure she listened to the bickering and wondered whether she should better intervene or simply walk away. She was not so sure anymore, if she wanted to know voices identities...

"My, My! Is that the way a gentleman behaves, when a lady is present?" said a melodic voice suddenly, _right next to her_.

**XXX**

Startled Lucy cried out and leaped aside, while Plue wriggeld out of her arms and disappeared between the trees.

"What? Who..?" she stammered breathlessly, staring at the very pretty young woman who had appeared at her side out of nowhere and was now smiling joyfully at her, just like Lucy's scream had not shredded both her eardrums. From the trees loud barking and hoarse calls could be heard... occasionally somebody screamed.

"Oh my dear, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! Are you alright?"

Deep blue eyes, framed by white hair, which was shining in the sun, watched her with a mixture of amusement and concern. The strangers smile was so friendly and warm that Lucy could not help but to relax and smile back.

"Th- that's ok, I'm fine, really!" she murmured, lowering her gaze, ashamed of her previous breakout.

The young woman seemed so gentle and harmless that Lucy felt unutterably stupid for her reaction. While her eyes were still fixed on the frayed hem of her dress, a high, clear laugh rang out, and when she raised her head, she noticed that the stranger held out her hand towards her.

"Hello, my name is Mira ! I'm the Mage of the North and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss... ?"

"Lucy. Just Lucy, please , " said the girl and took the offered hand. Compared to her own, tanned by the sun of the Downs, Mira's hand was almost as white as snow. Surreptitiously she looked at her opponent. When you lived so remote as she did, you did not often get the chance to see a mage up close, even if you lived in a country like Fiore.  
"Me too, but could you tell me where..."

She did not have time to ask her question, because at that moment there was a loud roar, followed by Plue's larking barking and a bunch of little blue men stormed into the clearing, her dog at their heels.

,,Crivens, someone stops this beast, before I teach it a lesson!"

,,Careful lads! It belongs to the hag, so it could be a dragon in disguise or somethin'!"

,,Aye! Or worse, a lawyer in disguise!"

,,Oh waily waily waily!"

Lucy blinked, stunned, as she absently grabbed Plue scruff and held him back so that the little men, they were not naturally blue but tattooed all over, she realized now, could plop down on the grass behind Mira, breathing heavily.

Fascinated Lucy took in their orange-red hair, scruffy kilts and the small pointed swords... how strange! Had they been the "voices"? To her own surprise, she did not feel frightened in the least by the newcomers. If one was whirled away by a Cyclone, including house and dog, into a completely foreign place, there was not much left that could surprise you. Apart of white-haired beauties who appeared out of nowhere maybe...

"...Lucy ?" asked said beauty in a worried tone, that implied, she had tried to talk to her for quite some time now.

"Ehm, yes ? " Caught the blonde turned to face her.

"I may introduce you to the Feegles?" The young woman pointed at the little blue men who looked at the ground and murmured a sheepish _Welcum_ or _Awrite_. Lucy gave them a shaky wave and Mira beamed at her.

"We are so grateful, that you have come here, Lucy! Welcome in the land of Oz! Thank you so much for saving this country from Erigor, the Mage of the East! My own powers were not enough to stop him ! You must be a very powerful mage! "

The girl blinked at her owlishly - and started laughing.

"Mage? " she echoed incredulously. "_Me?_ Sorry, but there must be a misunderstanding. I'm not a mage! There are a few in the Downs, but I never learned how to... "

Her voice trailed off as she got hold of another thought. Oz? A lump formed in her throat. Where was _Oz_? The blonde had never heard of such a place, but again she did not get a chance to voice her question.

"Of course you are! " Mira said, surprised. "You and your house - and this amazingly fluffy dog - came here from the sky! The Feegles saw it, right boys? "

"AYE! " answered a chorus.

"You misunderstood! There was this storm, you see? It whirled away my house And... wait! What was that about this Mage of the East?"

"You killed him!" Mira repeated in a cheerful tone, that did not really seem to fit the topic. The Feegles cheered.

"I DID WHAT?" shouted the blonde, this time causing even Mira to wince, and looked questioning at the Feegles. The little blue men nodded enthusiastically.

"AYE, it's true, Missy! " affirmed one of them and grinned cheerfully at her. "We saw it aw! The auld bastard what standin' there... " With his left he pointed at the edge of the wooden veranda, "... and yer house came flyin' from ower there ... " his right pointed at the sky, "and then... _Whoom!_ " Both hands collided with a loud noise, that caused Lucy to jump.

"Dead? " she asked in a little voice, afraid to hear the answer.

"As dead as mutton!" confirmed the Feegle happily.

Suddenly Lucy felt very sick. Even something as simple as breathing seemed unspeakably hard. She had killed someone? It was not like it been her intention, but... something wet dripped on her hand and it took a moment before she realized that it was a tear.

"I- I- I'm so sorry! I really did not mean to - I- I..."

"Nah... don't be," a new voice interrupted her rising panic attack before it could take on a dramatic scale. It sounded cold and a bit bored.

The girl turned around, wiping the tears from her eyes, and stared back at the house. There, on the murderous porch, was someone. It was a young man, maybe a little older than herself, who leaned in a totally relaxed manner against one of the pillars, looking at something lying at his feet. If Lucy would not have been still so confused by the fact, that she killed somebody, she probably would have wondered why everybody in this strange place seemed to appear out of nowhere, but so she was just staring at him, completely dazed. Therefore, it took a few seconds before she could make sense of his words. Her hands clenched into fists.

"Wh- What do you mean, _'Do not be?'_ I KILLED somebody! How could I not care, you cold hearted...? "

The young man sighed, one hand driving through his short black hair, and looked up.

"You do not need to care, 'cause this crooked bastard was a real pain in the ass and everybody is glad he is gone. So calm down and stop screaming at me, will you?"

He sounded still bored, but now also slightly annoyed.

Puzzled Lucy's mouth closed and opened several times, but no sound came out. What should you say to that? Seeking help, she threw a glance at Mira, who studied the newcomer disapprovingly.

"Gray, how often do I have to tell you: You must not swear so much! It's bad for the business! Defenders of the Good should not curse! And please be nicer to Lucy!" She came closer and put one arm around the blonde's shoulder, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"She saved us, after all! Just ignore him, dear. He is my apprentice, and while he is very talented when it comes to magic, his social skills leave much to be desired. However, I fear, I must agree with him, even if I would have used different words to say it, Lucy. Erigor wasn't a good person. He suppressed these lands and exploited the Feegle. We couldn't do anything about him, but now you have finally set us all free of him! "

With a grim expression that did not really suit her, Mira looked over to the spot, that Gray had been examining before and Lucy frowned in concern, but when the Mage of the North raised her eyes again, all of her silent anger had disappeared and she was beaming with happiness and joy again. Smiling at her she laid both her hands at Lucy's shoulders.

"But that's not important anymore. Let us rather talk about you! "

Lucy believed to hear Gray murmur something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "Yeah, let's quick change the topic before somebody could ask more questions..", but she decided to pay no attention to Mira's apprentice, at least for now. Same went for his shirt, which had just landed beneath her feet in the grass...

"...About me? "

"Yes of course, my dear! We have yet to thank you for your courage! Soooo, what can I do for you?"

Perplexed Lucy looked at her eager face and frowned. What could she could do for her? Normally, countless things would have occurred to her, but now that she was in this strange place - she began to fear that she was no longer in Fiore - full of strange people - a pair of white socks landed in the short spring grass at her side, that could only belong to Gray. What was he doing over there? - her previous thirst for adventure had already vanished again - the dead mage, whether evil or not, had scared her quite a bit - and at the moment she actually just wanted to go ...

"...Home! I - I want to go home, please! To Fiore! Aunt Em and Uncle Henry must be worried sick!"

That was probably a lie, the old couple had always been very pragmatic and missed the house probably more than her and Toto, but that was nothing you told a stranger.

"Fiore?" repeated the white-haired mage slowly and Lucy held her breath. "I''ve never heard of it! But this sounds like a job for the Wizard of the Emerald City! Don't you think, Gray?"

"That show-off in the capital? " prodded her apprentice, who, Lucy noticed surprised and somewhat embarrassed as she turned to him, was only wearing his underpants now. Mira followed her gaze and rolled her eyes.

"Gray? _PANTS!_" she remarked pointedly, before she seemed to decide that it was better to just ignore him. Grateful Lucy followed her example.

"Oz is a great mage, who lives in the capital of our country! " said Mira. "Some say, the greatest of all times. I have no idea where this Fiore is, but I'm sure he knows it and he will also find a way to bring you there! However, the way is long and rather dangerous..."  
Worried she eyed Lucy from head to toe, who looked back uneasily .

"Dangerous? "

"Yes,wild animals, monsters - stuff like that. Not to mention humans. Sometimes I think they are the worst of all."

Lucy swallowed. "Won't you go with me?, "she asked shyly.

She liked Mira, even if she was a bit strange. But of all the people she had seen here so far, the young woman seemed the most normal. At least she was still wearing her beautiful white dress. The Mage of the North radiated happiness and safety like an oven the heat and Lucy felt very comfortable around her. But the white-haired beauty sadly shook her head.

"No, I'm afraid I can't come with you. I 'm needed in the north. And someone has to make sure that the Feegles behave. They are always up to mischief. But... " Thoughtfully, she tapped her forefinger at her chin. "Ah, I know! Gray could accompany you! That would certainly be a good training for him!"

...

**xxx**

Lucy's voice was drowned out by a deafening shout of rage and scared the blonde looked up. She swallowed. From the other side of the guild hall Juvia stared at her, her expression a promise of a soon and probably a very painful death. The only reason why she had not lunged at Lucy yet, was the fact that she was shaken by a violent cryingfit... Speaking of - suddenly it seemed to be kind of wet in the guild hall. To be correct - the water was already up to her ankles and seeped into her winter boots.

_"GRAAAAAAAY - SAMAAAAAAAAAAAA, why can't you accompany Juvia?"_

Lucy decided that it was time to make a strategic withdrawal. She pressed her book into the hands of a bewildered Mira, grabbed Levy and ran to the back door, while the rest of the guild tried cursing to avoid the outburst of the former Rain Woman, while running... or rather swimming... to reach higher ground. The water had raised already high enough to reach their knees. But the blonde barely noticed that. She was deep in thought and paused only before she and Levy escaped into the open to throw a last glance at the book in Miras arms, who was floating ten feet above the surface and laughed at her fellow guild members.

" Strange," Lucy murmured. "Very strange indeed. "

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but here it is, chapter one ^^ It's kind of long for me, i dunno if the following ones be this long as well =)**

**the characters of Fairy Tail are owned by Hiro Mashima, while the plot is based on the magnificent book of Lyman Frank Baum.**

**And I stole the Feegles, as well as some vocabulary from Terry Pratchett,**** the master of fantasy..and sarcasm XD****...****sorry for that... ****but**** whenever i hear '_little_ _blue men' _its like someone screams "_CRIVENS!" XDD _****so...deal with it. Im not scottish though, so their speech in this is probably pretty wrong... but i couldnt do better. ****i think they appear in several other books as well, but mainly in the novels circeling around Tiffany Ache, the big wee hag XD**

**i tried my best, but if you notice grammar or spelling mistakes, please tell me**

**Well thats it^^ see ya, Mag**

**PS: Reviews and Critique are of course highly apprechiated! ;)**


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